In Windows 7 or Vista, how do I enable or disable the firewall?

Windows 7

1. From the Start menu, select Control Panel.
   
   
2. In the upper right, next to View by: , select Small icons.
   
   
3. In the group of icons down below, select Windows Firewall.
   
   
4. In the margin on the left, click Turn Windows Firewall on or off.
   
   
5. You can choose to enable or disable the firewall, based on either the "Home or work" or the "Public" network location. To enable the firewall from either of those locations, select Turn on Windows Firewall. To disable it, select Turn off Windows Firewall.

Windows Vista

Note: If this doesn't match what you see, refer to About navigation settings in Windows.

In Vista, to enable or disable the Windows Firewall:

1. From the Start menu, select Settings, and then Control Panel.
   
   
2. Double-click Security Center, and in the resulting window, click Windows Firewall.
   
   
3. If the status reads "Your computer is not protected: turn on Windows Firewall", then the firewall is disabled. To enable it, click Change settings, and then select On.

   If the status reads "Windows Firewall is helping to protect your computer", then the firewall is enabled. To disable it, click Change settings, and then select Off.

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